


Fire is the Test of Gold

by Valkyri (kisikil)



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Dangan Ronpa Zero
Genre: Danganronpa Student Council, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-23 00:56:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10708776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kisikil/pseuds/Valkyri
Summary: Being such an influential power, you would believe at first that the secretary was a suave, social individual, able to communicate her thoughts and ideas freely among even the most strict of strangers.But, there's a difference between business deals and...well, every other form of socialization.





	Fire is the Test of Gold

**Author's Note:**

> who knows what that title means
> 
> personalities based on my student council mutual killing fic, yeah

If you were to first meet little Karen Kisaragi, it would be difficult to imagine the influence she had within the most prestigious private academy in Japan, even the world. She was the third voice in the school's student council: behind the honest and persuasive words of student council president Soshun Murasame and the brash, overbearing personality of the Vice President Kotomi Ikuta, little Karen was their supporting voice, sometimes swaying even the headmaster when the other two couldn't. It's only natural she could achieve this - she was the Ultimate Secretary, known for her ways of creating networks, establishing clientele, keeping organizations in order, and even swaying the minds of major leaders to benefit who she worked under. Being such an influential power, you would believe at first that the secretary was a suave, social individual, able to communicate her thoughts and ideas freely among even the most strict of strangers.

But, there's a difference between business deals and...well, every other form of socialization.

"Welcome to MacDoodles," the cheerful employee chimed, a paper hat on her head and a smile on her face. "How may I take your order?"

"I, um," little Karen Kisaragi stuttered, playing with the hem of her school jacket. She pushed up her glasses and cleared her throat. "I...would like...a salad..."

"What was that?" the employee asked, leaning in to hear the girl who got quieter with each word she uttered.

"A...salad...one of the garden salads... Please!" Karen realized her voice had reduced to an incomprehensible mutter, so she ended up shouting her plea. The employee jumped at the suddenly change and volume, hurriedly nodding as she pressed in the order. Karen exhaled - finally! She did it! She felt elated, her chest lifted of all burdens and anxieties. She didn't even have to rely on Soshun, who stood next to her and was still eyeing the menu. She managed to order something on her own! She did it!

"And what size drink would you like?"

Karen shut down. Drink? She didn't even think about that! She had rehearsed exactly what she was going to say to the lady to Soshun about five times before they approached the counter, and a drink was never a part of the equation! Did she even want a drink? Was she thirsty? She didn't feel thirsty, but it was possible that eating would leave her parched... Should she get a small drink, then, just to satisfy herself when the time came? But what if it wasn't enough? She didn't want to fill her drink more than necessary; others might think she's gluttonous! A large was out of the question, so maybe she-

Someone pat their hand on her shoulder. It was Soshun.

"She'll just get a medium," he told the employee, saving Karen's life.

Soshun ordered his meal, and their food was ready before they were even finished filling their drinks (medium sized drinks, an important detail Karen needed to remember). Soshun had ordered fifty - fifty! - chicken nuggets and a large order of fries while Karen helped herself to her disappointingly small salad. Soshun insisted she have some of his food, but she declined - she didn't want to gain weight. It wasn't like she was eating much, anyway... She pathetically poked at the leaves with her fork, barely managing a few bites by the time Soshun was halfway through his nuggets. Naturally, Soshun took notice.

"What's wrong, Karen?" Soshun asked while he hovered a fry near his mouth. "Are the leaves limp? I could take it back for you for a new one."

"Hm?" Karen was lost in thought, the palm of her hand digging into her chin until Soshun spoke up. "Oh, no... It's fine. It's...good..."

"Are you sure? You've barely eaten any of it..."

Karen traced the salad's container with her fork and sighed. "I...wish I was braver..."

"Braver?" Soshun tilted his head. "You're pretty brave, Karen. You told Headmaster Kirigiri to eat a bug because he wouldn't fund the talent show."

"Th-That was different," Karen clarified. "When it comes to stuff like that, I'm...fine. But, if I were to talk to Mr. Kirigiri on separate terms, just...casually, I would freeze up! Just as I did with that employee...and with everyone..."

"If it makes you feel better, Headmaster Kirigiri makes me nervous, too."

"But everyone makes me nervous, Soshun!" Karen shouted. The restaurant grew silent, and Soshun jerked away from her, wide-eyed. Karen's eyes started to get watery. "I-I'm sorry," she muttered, sniffing. "I didn't mean to yell...."

"It's okay! It's okay, Karen, don't cry...!" Soshun consoled, leaning over the table and gently patting her shoulders. "I get you're frustrated... Maybe we can work this out together, yeah?"

Karen appreciated Soshun's sentiment, and for that she smiled weakly at him. But, she knew that Soshun tended to be a bit...protective of her, doing anything he could to make sure she was comfortable, even going as far as whisking into conversations to save her from her social anxiety. She wasn't exactly sure if that would benefit her any, make her braver in social situations, if every moment she felt uncomfortable he was there to save her from herself. She couldn't blame him - she tended to do the same, even going to the extent of skipping class to spend every waking moment caring for a student council president ailed with the stomach flu. It was just in their nature to help each other.

But, would that help really _help_? Karen knew one way she would have to overcome her fears was to face them, and facing them only to be aided the minute she felt even the slightest tinge of discomfort was probably not the best way to tackle her anxieties. But... How would she be able to go about this? She couldn't even think of a first step towards becoming braver... This wasn't exactly the first time she thought of it, what that first step could be. Was thrusting herself into conversations with strangers despite her mind screaming to escape really a good first step? Or maybe there was something she could do beforehand in order to make the process a bit smoother? There was only one thing she knew with all her heart...

She needed help.

Who could she go to, though? There was Suzuko - she was the most vibrant, social individual she knew. Maybe too much so... Sometimes Karen felt a bit uncomfortable talking with her; not because Suzuko was burdensome or anything, but because Karen felt burdensome to _her_. Conversations between the two always turned into a one-sided ramble on Suzuko's side while Karen twiddled her thumbs, not a single words uttered from her. Talking with the boys made her incredibly nervous, especially boys like Tarou and Asukasei... She was comfortable around Tomohiko, but he seemed to be on the same boat as her. Shouji was very nice to her, but last she received advice from him, she ended up in the headmaster's office for shouting "FUCK THE POLICE!" down the hall through Shouji's guidance. Denouncing law enforcement was probably not a good first step... Tsubasa was kind, but she was so elegant, and sometimes she squealed whenever Karen stepped near her... And... Kotomi....

Admittedly, Karen wanted to become more confident for Kotomi's sake as well. She wanted to be a friend Kotomi could take places and hang out with without worrying about how she felt... She remembered when they were first acquaintances, and how she fled at the sight of Kotomi... Not out of fear for her life, but fear of embarrassing herself in front of someone so lively and pretty. And then, when Kotomi saved her from those boys who harassed her behind the school building... The least she could do was become the friend that Kotomi deserves!

Plus, if she became more confident, it was possible she would be able to tell Kotomi how she felt...

That's why she couldn't go to Kotomi for advice; she wanted to do this on her own, to change and shock Kotomi with her progress! To become someone that Kotomi and Karen herself could be proud of!

...

But then...who was there to go to...?

* * *

 

"Hello!" Karen exclaimed as she filed some manila folders into the filing cabinets, her voice echoing in the empty student council room. "How are you today? I am doing fine!"

Karen began her journey towards becoming braver in the face of basic human interaction. However, her first step didn't include any other human other than herself. She developed a hypothesis: if she could eradicate her stutter, she may become more confident in herself. But, in attempting to conceal her stutter, she ended speaking in a monotonous, robotic voice that only made her more anxious. Moreso, while she fabricated fake scenarios in her head, she realized she had a terrible time thinking of subjects to discuss. Most of the time, she couldn't find herself extending the conversation with herself past the basic greeting with a comment on the weather.

"How is school going?" she asked herself. "It is going well!" she answered. She paused.

She sighed. The conversation ended there.

"Oh, how am I supposed to improve my social skills like this...?" she whined under her breath. This was most definitely _not_ a good first step towards becoming more socially adept... But, she couldn't think of anything else, much less ask anyone else for help. So, she breathed in and turned to grab more folders from the desks.

"Hello!" she shouted, not realizing until after she bellowed out her greeting that there was someone watching her from the doorway, leaning against the threshold. She held her breath, unable to exhale, as Kiriko eyed her as though she were disgusted by what she saw. So, Karen did what she believed was best for her situation.

She yelped and ducked under the desk, praying for Kiriko to leave and forget she ever existed.

Kiriko didn't leave and eradicate Karen's existence from her mind, however - in fact, she stepped into the student council room and to the desk Karen ducked under, leaning down and managing to peek her head underneath despite her shoes adding a full six inches to her height.

"That wasn't very subtle, sweetie," Kiriko droned.

"I- I- Uh- I'm, uh, not- I-" Karen stuttered, unable to create a coherent sentence. Kiriko sighed and finally knelt down.

"What in _earthly_ name are you doing in here, talking to yourself like a madwoman?" Kiriko asked, pouting her lip.

"I- Um, I-"

"Breathe."

Karen finally managed to take in a huge breath of air. After she exhaled, she felt less strain on her chest. "I-I was...practicing...talking..."

"To yourself?"

"I thought....if I could...g-get rid of my stutter, I could..."

Kiriko sighed. "You know it's not that easy, right? Shouting 'hello' to yourself isn't going to make that stutter go away."

Small noises escaped Karen's throat, nothing comprehensible amongst them. She pulled her knees up to her chest and dug her nose into them. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes, and she wanted to do all she could to fight them back... But, she just wasn't that strong. Kiriko just gawked, her chin perched on her hand. Then, she stood.

"Stand up," Kiriko ordered. Karen blinked, befuddled. But, she obeyed without question; she crawled out from under the desk and propped herself onto her feet. "No," Kiriko said, confusing Karen further. "Stand up straight." Kiriko placed two fingers on Karen's shoulder and two on her lower back. She pressed them towards her center, causing Karen to straighten her spine. "Now, stay like that for two minutes."

"I-It kind of hurts..."

"I don't care."

Karen managed to maintain the position for two full minutes, but her spine was in sheer pain. When Kiriko said they were over, Karen immediately relaxed...which resulted in Kiriko grabbing her hand and slapping it.

"Ow!" Karen yelped.

"I didn't say you could slouch like that," Kiriko explained. "How do you expect to become more confident with that posture?"

_Ms. Nishizawa was being unduly bossy...to help me?_ Karen had initially believed Kiriko was just making her seem less pitiful, but Kiriko actually had underlying intentions... She wanted to help her out a bit in her own Kiriko way! Karen had considered asking Kiriko before... Kiriko was the most confident girl she knew - she never met one person who could turn Teruteru from Class 77-B from an aggressive flirt to a quivering, blubbering mess, begging for mercy and for his life as she crushed him under her heel. It was because of that reason Karen was so scared to ask her for advice... And yet, here she was, helping her without even being asked to do so! Karen couldn't help her goofy smile that spread across her face.

"I-I'm sorry!" Karen stuttered, but this time was more from sheer excitement than paramount anxiety. She stood erect once again as the sun began to creep behind the base of the windows.

* * *

 

It was the third Friday of the month, which meant a mandatory student council meeting. Karen had undergone Kiriko's confidence training for two weeks at that point. The training was actually easier than Karen imagined: Kiriko had her work on her posture, her walk, even her wardrobe. Kiriko had commented that her clothing reminded her of her "aged grandma who was born in the 1920's" and completely redid it. She maintained Karen's personality with her clothes, however - modest, but the colors were brighter and the fabric looser. Kiriko made her wear a shorter skirt that came with the uniform one day, but Karen was so uncomfortable she hid in the broom closet for three hours. "We'll come to that bridge again," Kiriko sighed before bringing her her usual knee-long skirt.

Kiriko also had Karen work on her social skills - as in, communicating with others rather than just speaking to herself. She started easy, trying out her conversational skills with Soshun... Karen thought it was odd, though, when Kiriko instructed her to mercilessly order Soshun around like a dog. Karen felt terrible about it, even bursting into tears out of pure guilt a few times. Kiriko explained, however, that if she could master her inner "Amazon", she could handle a basic conversation when they arose. And so, she reluctantly bossed Soshun around, who gladly obliged for her sake. It didn't make Karen feel any better about doing it, though.

In truth, Karen could feel herself becoming more confident despite the oddities of the training. She could see it in her day-to-day life - walking down the hallway, she held her head up and greeted others who greeted her. Even in the current student council meeting, which she would usually lay low and stay quiet about unless business was discussed or things got unruly, she was able to get a word or two into casual conversations, a word or two more than before.

"So, like, if we got a Jeep, then got a huge-ass ramp," Shouji said, adding his two cents to the discussion of bringing more attention to Hope's Peak Academy. "And attached a banner on the back - you know, like those planes! - and then drove the Jeep over the building-"

"Stop talking," Asukasei interrupted, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I-I think that would be fun!" Karen cut in, mostly just to say something. She didn't even know if what she said made sense - she just had enough confidence in her to say _something._

"See? Lil' Kisaragi thinks it's a good idea!" Shouji shouted. Someone validated something she said! Karen felt elated! She said something and it wasn't ridiculed! She glanced over at Kiriko, who now had a habit of keeping an eye on Karen when she wasn't bickering with Tarou. She was giving her an approving smile. Karen never felt more proud of herself in her-

"Yes, well," Asukasei said. "Kisaragi has bad opinions then."

Karen never felt worse in her life.

Kotomi slapped the back of Asukasei's head, knocking his glasses onto the desk. "Take that back, you four-eyed shit!" she said as he picked them back up.

"What? Anyone who agrees with that ludicrous suggestion is idiotic," Asukasei said, wiping off his glasses before putting them back on. Karen felt her shoulders drop. She shouldn't have said anything. She slumped back into her chair as Kotomi threatened Asukasei's life...

...But noticed that Kiriko had a look in her eye. One that said, "Punish him."

Karen pursed her lips.

"A-At least I..." Karen muttered under her breath. All eyes turned to her, everyone hushed, making her even more anxious. But, she bit back her fears and looked Asukasei straight in the eye. She shouted, "A-At least Mr. Yokoo doesn't give dull suggestions that the student body always complains about! Suggestions a certain treasurer gives!"

"HOLY SHIT," Shouji shouted.

"D-Did Kisaragi just insult Hino?!" Aiko asked.

"I'm not sure if that constitutes as a real insult..." Tarou added.

"But still! It is so very out of character for little Kisaragi!" Tsubasa said.

Everyone was completely befuddled by Karen's comments, in awe that their little shy ray of sunshine lashed out so fiercely in her own little mousey way. Asukasei seemed a bit shocked himself, as did Kotomi and Soshun, who were caught completely off guard. But, eventually, the amazement had to end, and it ended when Asukasei scoffed.

"At least I _contribute_ ," Asukasei struck back. Karen felt something tighten in her throat. "What's your deal, anyway? I thought you were mute for a while there."

"Hino!"

"I'm just saying," Asukasei shrugged. "Don't try speaking now as though you do anything other than hang on Murasame's arm."

The meeting turned into chaos, with all the members ripping at Asukasei for being so rude to Karen, fearing she would start crying at any moment. Karen, though, just leaned back in her chair, numb from what he said. She could feel the shot he hit her with dig into her chest, yet she didn't feel like crying for some reason. She just clenched her teeth, her lips a thin line, as she glanced back at Kiriko once more...

....who looked disappointed in her.

_Then,_ she could feel the tears come.

" _That's it_ ," Soshun bellowed, his voice loud and overbearing. The entire room went silent within a single second. "We can discuss this another time. Student council meeting concluded. _Now._ "

* * *

 

Karen hid under a couple of hanging coats in the student council's closet, crying her eyes out. Not only did Asukasei treat her like a subhuman during the meeting, everyone rushed to her side to console her like a child! And she couldn't utter out a single word! She merely nodded at everyone who came to her, every single council member - even Isshiki seemed concerned, awkwardly patting her back before scurrying off. The only member who didn't comfort her (besides Asukasei, of course)...

...Was Kiriko, who simply left the room without uttering a single word. No doubt she was disappointed in her, Karen figured. No doubt Kiriko was angry that Karen couldn't stand up for herself despite all the training she had her go through. No doubt, no doubt, no doubt! Why was she such a pathetic human being? Why was it so hard for her to stand up for herself, for her to hold a _basic conversation?_ She hated it! She wiped her snotty nose with her sleeve. She hated this! She just wanted to be brave already! She just-

The door opened. She gasped.

"I knew I'd find you in here."

It was Kiriko who seemed exhausted and spoke with an exasperated sigh. Karen tried to back further into the shadows of the coats, but to no avail - Kiriko could still see her and her snorting, red face. The pink-haired upperclassmen shut the door behind her and strolled over to the sobbing mess. She seated herself next to Karen, allowing the hems of the coats to graze over her head and ruin her buns.

"I-I-" Karen sputtered out, choking back sobs. "I- I- I'm-"

"Breathe."

Karen took a deep breath. "I'm...sorry," Karen said in one shaky breath.

" _You're_ sorry?" Kiriko asked, a confounded emphasis on her words. "I should be the one saying sorry to you."

"Huh?"

"We're two different people, sweetie," Kiriko explained. "But I've been training you how I train myself. And that simply doesn't work for you. That's why you crashed so hard after that rude gremlin's attack."

Karen blinked back some tears. "What do you mean by...'training yourself'?" Karen inquired. She didn't expect Kiriko's cheeks to become a shade of red and for her to twirl her hair.

"...I-I wasn't... _always_ so..."

_....Was Kiriko...stuttering? And at a loss for words?_

Kiriko shook her head. "That doesn't matter. What matters is that we should go about this differently. No more thrusting yourself into social situations around that rat, you hear me?"

Karen didn't respond to that. She sniffed. "I-I like the training we do, though..."

Kiriko sighed. "But, I shouldn't expect you to change overnight... Things'll take time. That's how everything is..."

Kiriko rubbed her own arm, looking off and away from where Karen was. Karen was staring at her, though - there was something in Kiriko that she could see, something that was far too familiar to her. And if someone like Kiriko, someone so confident and poised, something who didn't fear the words of anyone she met, held something in her that was reminiscent of even a sliver of Karen... Then, that meant Karen could become even a sliver of who Kiriko was. That, alone, was enough for Karen to keep pushing.

Karen felt her nose run. She raised her sleeve up until Kiriko stopped her.

"Dear, no. That's disgusting," Kiriko scolded before digging her her jacket's pocket and pulling out a handkerchief. "Don't even worry about returning it - it's not mine. I took it off of that wretched Hino before I pushed him down the stairs."

"You what?!" Karen exclaimed after she blew her nose into the stolen piece of cloth. "Is he okay?!"

"Maybe?"

They stared at each other for a long moment, Karen's face contorted in sheer horror while Kiriko's in a nonchalant grimace. Then, they both chuckled.

**Author's Note:**

> local snake mom defends her mouse daughter with her life
> 
> y'all lucky as hell i almost put sousuke in this fic, as i do with everything i write, but i stopped myself. though i have been informed that not putting sousuke in fics brings ill-luck for all, so who knows. maybe i just cursed all of you
> 
> don't forget to kudos the fic, comment on the fic, subscribe for more fics like this one


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